Pastor Note #140: Getting My Bearings in These Times, A Beginning

Getting My Bearings in These Times, A Beginning

My identity is not based on what my passport says about my citizenship.  My identity is certainly not based on what my voter registration card says about my party affiliation.
Phil 3:20; Col. 3:11; 1 Pet. 2:9

I am the recipient of the unconditional love, grace, and compassion of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my identity is based solely on the fact that Jesus has saved me and is saving me.  My identity and my way of living are based exclusively on the fact that Jesus is Lord.
John 20:28; Acts 2:36; Acts 10:36; Rom. 10:9; Rom. 15:12; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Cor. 12:3; 2 Cor. 4:5; Phil. 2:11

No human ruler or government is my Lord.  I am obedient to human rulers and human government because my God tells me I should be but only insofar as that obedience does not conflict with my obedience to Jesus.
Acts 4:19-20; Acts 5:29

No human party, organization, or association owns my loyalty.  I am loyal only to Jesus.  My relationship to human parties is shaped by and limited by my loyalty to Jesus.
See passages listed above

No human leader or party is to be above criticism.  If I allow any human leader or party to be exempt from criticism, it is a sign that I have dethroned Jesus in my life.
See passages listed above

Because Jesus is Lord and because I am the recipient of his unconditional love, grace, and compassion, all of my human relationships are to be defined by love, grace, and compassion.
Rom. 5:10; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:3-7
Matt. 5:44-45; Matt. 22:39; Lk. 6:27-28; Rom. 12:14; Col. 3:12

Therefore, I will speak out against and oppose any government policies and actions that rely on or in any way affirm the inhumane or cruel treatment of human beings.  Because Jesus insists that love, grace, and compassion are not mere principles but are to be expressed in concrete and tangible action, I will advocate for and support government actions and policies that aim to increase the common good and the general flourishing of all people, especially the vulnerable and powerless members of society—“the least of these brothers and sisters” of Jesus.
Matt. 6:10; Matt. 25:31-46

© 2025 Gary A. Chorpenning

Related Posts:
Pastor Note #76: Citizenship in the Only Christian Nation on Earth
Pastor Note #138: The Way of Jesus: Selfless Service OR Coercion and Domination?
Pastor Note #134/Bible Note #55: Love of Jesus, Love of Neighbor
Pastor Note #85 — The Demonic Heresy of Christian White Nationalism
Pastor Note #129: How Would Christian Nationalist Government Work?